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Most organizations and teams are not pure democracies, in the end there is someone who is in charge. More often than we like to think this person in charge is asked to discipline a peer in cases of insubordination. Though we don’t like to think about it, insubordination does happen.

Whether it’ssimplythe character of a selected team member’s temperament or somebodysimply having an instant of rebellion howeverwilla front runnerinfluence insubordination adult to adult?

First and foremost having a standard in place with dealing with general and/or specific types of insubordination is key. In the corporate world this often comes in the form of an employee handbook—a document like this can be invaluable even for a very small business, that may be run more casually. It is far easier to have rules in place then to try to enforce something without precedent.

Some leaders, managers and bosses will accommodate successful team members who have rebellious personalities if they are getting the job done and fundamentally respect the leader, other team members and the organization.

However, leaders ought torecognize that some team members could also beaggravated or resentful by the accommodation vogue and leaders WHO use this voguemight loose their credibleness with different team members if they are too loosey-goosey.

At the oppositefinish of the spectrum there’s a strict leadership vogueduring whichpropriety is of the top importance to the leader—sometimes to the purposewherever any questioning of the leader is considered insubordination.

Team members usuallyrecognizepreciselywhereverthe road is once this vogueis used, however leaders will loose out on honest, critical feedback and may foster an atmosphere of fear and low morale.

While both these extreme styles have potential benefits and drawbacks, staying consistent is important.Inconsistent treatment of insubordination can inevitably cause chaos, low morale and loss of respect. Playing favorites or permittingone thing on Tuesday, but then not on Thursday is a quick way to lay waste to any respect or credibility a leader as earned from her team.

Some believe the most effectivethanks to handle insubordination, adult to adult, in a very leader-to-team-member relationship is thru immediate constructive criticism.

Address the behavior politely, but firmly. Be as objective as possible about the transgression. While for many this will feel like the most uncomfortable and difficult option in the short term, in the long term this style may reap the most healthy team environment.

Many leaders would love to reward their subordinates, however don’t have a budget.

Allowing staffa piece from home day will bea decentthanks to reward them.

If this doesn’t apply to your state of affairsspecifically, figure out how to reward your team member by allowing them to work for a day on their own scheduling or location terms.

If you have got a codification, ease up on it.

It is notsimply the school sector or alternative “young” businesses that have discovered that it’squite absurd to fauxwe’d like special consumer goodsto urge our work done in the business world. Ditch the white collars (at least on Fridays).

Find howto administer your team member a special project that suits their interest or below used ability set or realize another job-related chanceto administer them.

Bring in one of the “big wigs” to have a sit down with your team and discuss the vision and future of the company and how they all fit into that picture. If you are the big wig (or not) you might consider bringing in a relevant outsider to lead your pow wow.

Take the time to put in writingassociate degree honest and positive letter of advice for the team member. Talk to them regarding why you’d be happy to be a reference within the future, either for advancement within the organization or if they decide to move on.

The latter might bea part ofoftenregular one-on-one sessions along with your teammates. Focus on the teammate’s needs and thoughts. Ask them questions. How can you help them?

Whatever you decide onto try and do, a straightforward gesture lightness the accomplishments and abilities of your staffoncefinancial or material rewards aren’t associate degreepossibilityis that the best thanks to let them know they are appreciated.

The art of small talk can be boiled down to one simple piece of advice—ask the other person questions. Of course things are more complex than that, but by actively engaging the other person small talk will be much easier and more sincere.

First make sure you are covering the following three criteria—be authentic, make a sincere connection, choose a topic that gives a taste of who you are. But how does one accomplish this?

Avoid “news update” topics such as weather, sports and traffic.

Be aware of your surroundings. If you are in someone else’s space. Choose a unique object in the room to ask questions about. It could be a family photo or an unusual decoration. It is ok to share personal news as well, but make sure it is something that actually happened. The point is to be sincere. Invented niceties might momentarily fill the silence but won’t add up to a conversation.

Don’t be afraid to speak first.

Make eye contact and be aware of your facial expressions and body language. As in all conversations what your body says can be more revealing than what your mouth speaks.
Finally, just go for it. If you are authentic and speak with purpose you might find yourself in the middle of an interesting conversation.

Asking for and actually getting good advice is more of a science than one might think. They way one begins the conversation is important. Keep the tone as positive as possible. Something simple and direct—I’d love you advice—will do the trick.

One should immediately identify the kind of advice they are seeking and after their opening line address the topic in the form of a question. Come to the conversation prepared with questions and specific details. Make sure you clearly define the problem. Stay on topic so you aren’t wasting someone’s time with a wandering conversation.

Additionally, take time to consider who is the right person to ask for advice from. People often go to friends or family members for advice because they are comfortable speaking to them. However, that doesn’t make that person the right one to ask. You need someone with knowledge and experience with whatever it is you are dealing with.

Don’t ask too many people. You can’t follow everyone’s advice and there are diminishing returns with too many opinions to analyze.

Don’t ask for advice if what you are seeking is validation or praise. If one has no intention of seriously considering another’s opinion, don’t waste anyone’s time.

Stop wasting time with meaningless meetings, whatever kind of organizations you’ve been a part of, sure you’ve attended a meeting that could have been an email. Make sure only necessary team members attend—there is nothing worse then attending a meeting that doesn’t apply to you. Do your best to keep everyone engaged, don’t allow for distractions (instruct that cell phones are to be left outside).

While the cliché stands that two or more minds is better than one actually making a group decision is quite challenging even when the decision is of smaller consequence. To improve group decision making make sure you define the task. Choose the right team members to work with to come to a decision. Set criteria for the decision to be made. Brainstorm and set in stone several options before voting or discussing. Come up with a pre-agreed upon selection process. Develop plans to put the decision into action. Evaluate the effectiveness of the decision and the process that created it.

As you improve yourself you need to support your employees in their personal development. It is important as it makes everyone on the team better. Give team members time to fully engage with new learning and skill development. You might even develop some in-house opportunities for essential skill sets for new team members. Follow up with your team members and discuss what they’ve learned and how they are applying it. When everyone is always improving there will be fewer stoppages to instruct in areas where team members lack.

Take the lead with self-care and self-learning. Demonstrate by doing. You are effectiveness as leader is dependent on your own health and personal improvement.

Healthier people usually have more energy, think more clearly, have a longer attention span and don’t get sick as often. Good leaders should be eating a healthy diet—consult your physician on what this may mean for you. Strive to get enough, quality sleep. Do your best to partake in physical activity—you might even make group exercise a part of your team’s day on occasion. Try to mitigate stress.

Being a good leader means staying on top of your game. Don’t feel pressured to always have all the answers, but you should always be learning new skills, studying new subject matter and developing your leadership tools. While you are surely busy you’ll want to make the best use of your time. Commit. Set real deadlines and block out time for self-improvement on your calendar in pen. Immediately find ways to put new knowledge, skills and tools into practice. You don’t actually learn until you use new knowledge.

Finally, celebrate your successes. This will help subconsciously reinforce the value of a healthy lifestyle and ongoing learning.